Period 2 Vocabulary

Devshirme

A system used by the Ottoman Empire to recruit Christian boys into military and administrative service, converting them to Islam and training them to be loyal to the Sultan. Many rose to high ranks, notably in the Janissaries.

Divine Right of Kings

A political and religious doctrine asserting that a monarch is subject to no earthly authority, deriving his right to rule directly from God. This concept implies that kings are answerable only to God and not to the people or any secular authority.

Gunpowder Empires

A term referring to the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal empires, which rose to prominence in the 15th to 18th centuries due to their mastery of gunpowder weapons (cannons and firearms), enabling them to establish large, centralized states.

Ming Dynasty

The ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. It was known for its great cultural achievements, expansion of the Grand Canal, construction of the forbidden city, and maritime expeditions led by Zheng He.

Mughal Empire

An Islamic Turkic-Mongol empire that controlled most of the Indian subcontinent from the early 16th century to the mid-19th century. Known for its rich architecture, strong military, and attempts at religious harmony under emperors like Akbar.

Qing (Manchu) Dynasty

The last imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912. Established by the Manchu people, it expanded the empire, maintained traditional Chinese culture while integrating Manchu elements, and faced significant challenges from Western powers in its later years.

Ottoman Empire

A centralized empire founded in the late 13th century by Oghuz Turks in Anatolia. It grew to control much of Southeast Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, reaching its peak in the 16th and 17th centuries, known for its powerful Janissary corps and vibrant culture.

Safavid Empire

A Persian empire founded in the early 16th century, known for its promotion of Shia Islam and significant cultural achievements, particularly in art and architecture.

Salaried Samurai

a professional warrior in Japan, particularly during the peaceful Edo period, who received a fixed income from their feudal lord instead of relying on land or spoils from battle

Sikhism

a monotheistic religion founded in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia by Guru Nanak

Songhai Empire

A large West African empire that dominated the western Sahel in the 15th and 16th centuries, known for its control of trans-Saharan trade routes.

Vizier

A high-ranking political and religious advisor or minister in Islamic governments, such as the Ottoman and Safavid empires.

Zamindar

An aristocratic landlord in the Mughal Empire who collected taxes from peasants on behalf of the emperor and maintained order in their assigned territories.

Boyars

Members of the highest rank of the feudal Russian and Romanian aristocracy, second only to the ruling princes or tsars.

Caravel

A small, highly maneuverable sailing ship developed in the 15th century by the Portuguese to explore the West African coast and the Atlantic Ocean. Its lateen sails made it very fast and able to sail against the wind.

Carrack

A large, three- or four-masted sailing ship developed in the 14th to 15th centuries in Europe, primarily used for ocean voyages and trade, capable of carrying large amounts of cargo.

Columbian Exchange

The widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, technology, diseases, and ideas between the Americas (the New World) and the Old World (Afro-Eurasia) in the 15th and 16th centuries following Christopher Columbus's 1492 voyage.

Dutch East India Company

A powerful mega-corporation founded in 1602 by a government-directed amalgamation of several rival Dutch trading companies, which held a monopoly on Dutch trade with Asia for nearly 200 years. It had quasi-governmental powers, including the ability to wage war, mint coins, and establish colonies.

Encomienda System

A labor system established by the Spanish Crown during the colonization of the Americas. It granted Spanish encomenderos the right to demand labor or tribute from indigenous people in a specific area, in return for protecting them and converting them to Christianity.

Fluyt

A type of sailing vessel designed by the Dutch in the 16th century largely for cargo transport. It was characterized by its narrower deck and wider hull, allowing it to carry more cargo with a smaller crew and lower customs duties.

Hacienda System

A system of large estates or plantations in Spanish America, often producing agricultural products for local or regional markets, relying on various forms of coerced labor, including debt peonage.

Joint-Stock Company

A business entity where different stocks can be bought and sold by shareholders. Each shareholder owns company stock in proportion to their investment. This allowed for pooling large amounts of capital for ventures like overseas trade and colonization, significantly reducing individual risk.

Lateen Sail

A triangular sail set on a long yard mounted at an angle on the mast, running fore-and-aft. It was highly effective for sailing against the wind and was widely adopted by Arab traders and later by European explorers during the Age of Discovery.

Maroon Societies

Communities formed by escaped slaves (Maroons) in the Americas, particularly in the Caribbean and Brazil. These communities often resisted recapture and maintained African cultural traditions.

Mercantilism

An economic theory and practice, dominant in Europe from the 16th to the 18th century, that promoted governmental regulation of a nation's economy for the purpose of augmenting state power at the expense of rival national powers. It involved maximizing exports and minimizing imports, often through the accumulation of precious metals.

Mit’a System

A mandatory public service system in the Inca Empire, later adapted by Spanish colonizers, particularly for mining (e.g., silver in Potosí). Under the Spanish, it became a brutal system of forced labor.

Omani Merchants

Merchants from Oman who played a crucial role in Indian Ocean trade networks, facilitating the exchange of goods between East Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and India, often becoming influential in port cities.

Plantation Economy

An economic system primarily based on large-scale agricultural operations that cultivate cash crops, usually for export. These economies heavily relied on coerced labor, such as slavery, particularly in the Americas.

Portuguese Trading Post Empire

A 16th-century imperial strategy employed by the Portuguese in the Indian Ocean, focusing on establishing fortified coastal bases and controlling trade routes rather than extensive land colonization. They collected customs duties and enforced their maritime dominance.

Pueblo Revolt

An uprising by most of the indigenous Pueblo people against the Spanish colonizers in the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México in 1680, which temporarily expelled the Spanish from the region.

Silver Trade

The global exchange of silver, particularly from the mines in the Spanish Americas (e.g., Potosí) and Japan, to Asia (especially China) from the 16th to 19th centuries. This trade had profound economic and social impacts worldwide.

Timars

A land grant system in the Ottoman Empire, similar to European feudalism, where land was granted to military officers (timariots) in exchange for their service, including maintaining a cavalry unit. The timariot collected taxes from the land.

Tokugawa Shogunate

The last feudal government of Japan, ruling from 1603 to 1868. It established a centralized military government, known for its long period of peace, national isolation (sakoku), and strict social hierarchy.

Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade

The forced migration of millions of Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas from the 16th to the 19th centuries, primarily to work on plantations. It formed a crucial part of the triangular trade network.